Unimaginable God

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.””
1 Corinthians 2:8-9 NLT

Worldly people, unbelievers in God, have no idea about God and His wisdom. A human being has no natural contact with the spiritual world, a super-natural place which we cannot see, touch, smell, taste or hear using our natural senses. And so anything a human being tries to work out about a mystical and elusive world beyond their senses is bound to fail. But a person rooted in a world driven by their senses bolstered by human reasoning and logic, comes up with a wisdom that falls far short of what God has made available. There is of course nothing wrong with human wisdom when properly utilised. That is why God has created humans with a brain that is amazing in its capabilities, but imaginative scientists and philosophers come up with much that pushes boundaries but inevitably finds limitations. Hardly a day goes past without some new discovery about our natural world, be it an atomic particle, or a new vaccine. Sadly, theories regarding the origins of the universe and the purpose of life itself change regularly and we find that human wisdom is woefully lacking, with significant limitations.

But what about God’s wisdom? Inaccessible although it is to mere unbelieving humans, we pilgrims are allowed a glimpse of the thoughts and plans of God. They are not available to people who fail to recognise Him and believe that He exists. But in those thoughts and plans we find God’s wisdom, and in His Word, the Bible, we find hints, glimpses, advice and assurances about this Heavenly world that we will one day find. Paul quoted a verse from Isaiah 64 in his Corinthian letter, which in the original reads, “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4). Paul’s memory came up with slightly different words, but the meaning is much the same. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is working for us and preparing a world, an environment, something and somewhere, but we cannot even start to imagine what it will be like. And even though the prophets of old were given tantalising hints of what was to come, no one can get anywhere near discovering what lies ahead. Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and even the old Apostle John all had thoughts and visions inspired by the Holy Spirit, but there is a problem. What they “saw” is so far beyond anything seen or imagined that we will find they are not even close to what God has for us in His plans. 

So human wisdom, thoughts, imaginations, and discoveries are silent when it comes to God’s spiritual world. Jesus said to His disciples, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3). We know that one day we will have a home where Jesus lives, because we know and believe that He is alive today, but what form that home will take we don’t know. Our imagination usually starts at the point of human knowledge but then ventures into unknown places. Places that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined”. The Holy Spirit revealed something to Isaiah about God, ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Human wisdom cannot bring us to the understanding that the Creator God loves His people and that He has prepared the glories of eternity to share with them. Our intellects will try and work it all out, but will come up painfully short. But we cannot trust in what God say He has for us without faith in Him. It is only by having faith in God, by believing the hints, glimpses and prophetic words contained in the Bible, that we will be able to be assured of our destination with our “unimaginable God”. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “ … it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). 

But can we pilgrims start to feel a little excitement starting to build in our spirits? Are we feeling a little like a small child promised a trip to the seaside, feeling the anticipation starting to appear in our minds, our imaginations? What will the sea and sand be like? Will it be sunny? And so on. And of course we mustn’t forget the cry from the back seat – “are we nearly there yet?” The wise old pastor and expositor, John MacArthur, died recently and he will now be finding out if what he preached was in fact the reality he is now experiencing. Such revelation will also become available to all of us one day. But we pilgrims at least know where we are heading, having been given a glimpse of what is ahead. Pity all those who don’t believe because they are heading for a nasty shock and a future about which they can do nothing. All those poor people who have relied only on their human wisdom and knowledge, and who have rejected the King of Glory.

Dear Heavenly Father. Our human minds can never work out what plans You have for us in the future. But we believe in You and in the Words of Your Son Jesus, with a faith that will never be rocked by world events. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

Confidence in God

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.”
Psalm 27:1-3 NLT

In these three verses that start Psalm 27, David made a confident statement that, regardless of what was coming against him, he would be ok. He had a confidence that seemed unshakeable, building a picture of God being his fortress, and any attacks from his enemies coming to nothing. But more than just being confident in God’s salvation, he also stated that he would not be afraid. Is that faith in God, over-confidence or what? In the context of this Psalm, David was thinking about physical attacks and dangers from evil people, and so he was apparently sure of his ground, but how could he have reached that state of certainty? 

We can get a glimpse of David’s relationship with, and dependence on, God if we look at the Goliath episode. Goliath appears on the scene in 1 Samuel 17:23, and David heard at first hand what was happening. “As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel“. Goliath was a giant over 9 feet tall and he wore an impressive suit of armour that would have been too heavy for a normal man of that time. In fact, his armour was such that there was only one place where it could be breached and that was in the place we know about, just above his eyes. Along with his armour bearer who carried his shield, Goliath was an impressive war machine, perhaps a Biblical forerunner of the modern army tank. Goliath taunted the Israelites with the challenge that Israel supply a soldier to fight him, with the outcome of that one to one combat deciding the overall fate of the Philistine/Israelite battle. As we can imagine, the impact of this giant warrior was devastating and the Israelites all ran away, even though there were impressive rewards available for the man who took him on. But then along came David. He asked a question, “ … What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”” (1 Samuel 17:26). A faith question and one that has echoed through the times and generations since, a faith question that is so logical in its content because, after all, Goliath’s challenge wasn’t just against the Israelite army, it was against God Himself. 

So, David volunteered to fight Goliath. As we know, David had already been faced with battles of a different kind, against wild animals that had tried to take away sheep from the flock in his care. We read, “ … I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”” (1 Samuel 17:34-37). 

Of course, we know the outcome. This was no natural fight. In the natural, how could a shepherd boy, unarmed with nothing but a sling, ever overcome a man of war, armed offensively and defensively as Goliath was? This was a God moment and one that fuelled David’s unwavering faith in God. If God had come through for him once, He would do likewise again. So David wrote, “The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger”. Of course God was all of these things to David and his faith in God was strong and an example to us all. But how did David’s faith get to this impressive state? A little bit at a time. He saw God come through for him in small things and he stretched his faith into bigger and bigger exploits for God, as the Lord worked with him day by day. 

The Apostle John wrote, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4). This is a verse often quoted in our churches and fellowships, and it sounds good. But do we really believe it when we come up against our own Goliath moments? Jesus too encouraged His disciples. He said to them, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father” (John 14:12-13).

So where, dear pilgrims, is our faith level today? What are we believing God for in the day ahead? Faith for our lives, physical and spiritual, is essential to every pilgrim today and every day. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God looks on at His children in their daily struggles, and sees our often feeble faith attempts. And He smiles. He’s pleased. I will soon be out for my morning prayer walk, and I’m believing God for the opportunity to share the faith God has given me with someone who needs to hear His message of hope. A faith step I take every day. But we’re all different and as we head into our day, we will find that God is listening to our faith-prayers and He works with us to see them answered. A need for healing? Believe God for a remedy. A need for finances? Believe God for the funds. The small things we pray for will help us build our faith muscles and we will find three outcomes, all blessings. We will be blessed. Others with be blessed. And, above all, God will be blessed as well. And if we find that our faith-prayers are not answered in the way we would like, then we persevere. God is listening and one day we will receive His reward for being a faithful man and woman of God, either in this life or the life to come.

David was confident in God, but he was a man like you and me. We may not be facing into a giant or an army, but we can declare with him that the Lord is our fortress, now and forever. Amen?

Dear Father God. Please help us to build;d up our faith in You, this day and every day. Amen.

The Ropes of Death

Posted on by korgrocker

“The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.”
Psalm 18:4-6 NLT

David painted a picture of a life-threatening situation with phrases like “ropes of death” and “floods of destruction”. But he followed his distressful experiences with cries and prayers for help which God heard from Heaven. Looking back at some of David’s experiences while being chased around the Middle East by King Saul, when he was forced to take refuge in all sorts of hideaways, we can appreciate the strength of his feelings. We can read about one of David’s experiences in 1 Samuel 23:7-8, “Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men“. Because of the threat of being betrayed by the inhabitants of this walled city, and we read on, “So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him” (1 Samuel 23:13-14). So, in Psalm 18 David expressed poetically the close experience that he had had with death, if Saul had captured him. 

But take these verses in Psalm 18 about “ropes of death” and “floods of destruction” and overlay them on our lives today. First of all, the great majority of us do not walk about in fear that a 21st Century equivalent of King Saul is after us. But we do have many fears that threaten to do the same. Fears of financial ruin because of the loss of employment. Fears of an early death due to illness or disease. Fears of homelessness because our landlord wants to increase the rent beyond what we can afford. Fears of …. (add your own selection). And the result of our fears is that we worry. Sadly, it is almost as a last resort that we follow David’s example and “[cry] out to the Lord” and “pray to … God for help”. Jesus had some sound advice in His Sermon on the Mount. We read in Matthew 6:25-27, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” And the chapter finishes with “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today“.

Jesus wasn’t saying that we, as believers, will be immune from the problems that blight the lives of so many. Instead He said we should follow God and His ways, because by doing so we will find ourselves on a pathway along which our worries and anxieties will diminish. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus“. 

 “Ropes of death” and “floods of destruction” can never get in the way of our relationship with God. Yes, we may experience many troubles in this world, but Jesus said that He had overcome the world. Even now, there may be those amongst us who feel as though they are facing a fork in the road. To the left is the route of worry and anxiety, with our view firmly fixed on all the trials and troubles this world has to our doors. To the right is God’s way, the right way, where the trials and troubles still exist but we lift our eyes upwards to God and experience His peace and provision. He may or may not do something about our worldly situation but instead He will stand with us as we face our problems. Jesus said, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:31-33). So there we have it.  “Ropes of death” and “floods of destruction” don’t appear in the Kingdom of God.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your provision and love. Regardless of our circumstances, we will worship You this day and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Be Sure

Posted on by korgrocker

“You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him.”
Psalm 4:3 NLT

David had no doubts about his status in God, and he lived a long time before Jesus came to save the world. How did he reach that position? By spending time in God’s company. In those fields as he looked after his father’s sheep, David mused, meditated, praised, communicated, and worshipped, all with his Father in Heaven. He spent long hours, night and day, just him and God, and those hours were never wasted. In the fields he honed his skills with a slingshot, with his harp, but without a copy of the New Testament stuffed in his top pocket. No prayer book and copy of the metric Psalms. Just him and God. And in this environment he learned to trust his Lord. And his sure faith was reflected in the time he volunteered to confront Goliath. We read in 1 Samuel 17:34-37, “But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”” David didn’t reach this position overnight. His time in the wilderness trained him for just an occasion as this.

So from his place of faith in God, David could rightly claim a special home for the “godly” in God, and he knew from experience time and again that God would answer his prayers. Surely, we pilgrims can claim the same? After all, we know that God has forgiven us and that we are adopted sons and daughters in His family. But do we have that relationship with Him that gives us the assurance that He answers our prayers? Do we take time out of our busy lives to spend time in His presence, getting to know Him more? I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I find out new things in God almost every day. Every time I open His Word the Bible, something leaps out of the pages and touches my spirit. And occasionally, a sermon or even a casual conversation will reveal something God wants me to hear. There is no substitute to spending time with someone to get to know them better. We can read about God in the Bible but that knowledge doesn’t always journey from our heads to our hearts. Perhaps the prayers we start with should echo Paul’s cry in Philippians 3:10 – “I want to know Christ …”. Such knowledge embedded deep within our hearts is essential to equip us for our journeys to Glory.

Dear Father God. We really do want to know You more. Please help us by revealing Your presence to each one of us, day by day. Amen.

Our Salvation

Posted on by korgrocker

“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armour of right living.”
Romans 13:11-12 NLT

I’m sure we have all been in a church meeting at some time when a testimony is given, about someone who was saved on such and such a day and what an impact that had had on their lives. But Paul wrote here in Romans 13:11 that “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed”, implying that the original assumption of claiming to be saved might be flawed. So which is right?

We first have to consider what we mean by “being saved” or “salvation”. The dictionary definition is “deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ”. And that is indeed the case, because one day, at some time in the future, we will enjoy bring able to enter God’s presence. Through our faith in Jesus, we believe that He dealt with our sins at Calvary. No sinful person can ever enter God’s presence, so through His grace, He provided a way in which our sins can be forgiven. So we are saved. And Paul reminded his readers that the time when they will enter God’s presence was getting nearer. 

But there are in fact three phases in what we call “salvation”. The testimony from a person claiming to be saved is the first step in a process, that starts with their faith being placed in Jesus and ends with the receipt of a resurrection body when we enter God’s presence. Paul wrote in Romans 10:9, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”. Note that Paul didn’t say you are saved, but “you will be saved”. God’s grace in accepting a sinner who turns to Him is life changing and incomprehensible to many. But it’s all about His gracious love for His human creation. Warts and all, everyone has an opportunity to be accepted by God. We should note what Peter said in his Acts 2 sermon. In Acts 2:38 we read, “ … “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit””. The first step that all Christians must take involves repentance from sins and turning to God away from their old sinful lives. 

The second step is what the theologians call sanctification. A long word meaning that we are being made holy. God won’t accept anything that is unholy in Heaven. But through a growing up process, the new Christian learns how God wants him or her to live. In 1 Peter 1:14-15, Peter wrote, “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy”. Such a process would be impossible in our own strength, but God sent the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to help us. Romans 8:11, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you”. Note that Peter told his listeners in Acts 2:38, that by turning to God, they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. One follows the other. We cannot turn to God but deny access to the Holy Spirit. 

The third and final step is the wonderful realisation that we will one day be glorified. This is when we will receive a resurrection body just like Jesus’s. Romans 8:30, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified”. Colossians 3:1-4, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory”. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians, “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

We pilgrims made a decision to follow Jesus, taking the first steps in our journey to glorification. It’s a lifetime commitment, and the wonderful thing is that God will never reject a repentant sinner. We may be a few minutes away from glory, or many years, but God will accept all those who repent.

Sadly, there are many who have decided that they don’t want to be with God for eternity. Foolishly, they think that they can continue their sinful ways after death, if they even believe in an afterlife. One of my neighbours thinks that he will join, what he calls, “the big party downstairs”. Others think that death will bring oblivion, so why not just enjoy the sinful lives they live while they can. But Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, warning them to wake up. He knew what would happen to those who refused to accept God’s wonderful and gracious of salvation through Jesus, and he didn’t want his friends in Rome to be counted among them.

Dear Father God. How can we thank You enough for Your grace and love, so freely given. we worship You today. Amen.

Self Honesty

Posted on by korgrocker

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us”. 
Romans 12:3 NLT

This is a difficult one. What do we think of ourselves and our abilities? And how do we know? There are some empirical ways of assessing our abilities, and academic exams are one of them. We might, for example, think we are good at arithmetic, and we can prove it by passing some sort of test. The same would apply to a driving test, where we can demonstrate to an external examiner our ability, or not, as the case may be. Similarly, we might think we are good at speaking a foreign language, something that is easily confirmed by a visit to that country. But these are all specifics. The problem comes when, for example, we say we are good at a subject like art just because we can pass an arithmetic test.

I used to work for someone who was an expert in his vocational field. He wrote for scientific and technical journals, and people consulted him about their theories and projects. So he started a company to market his products, thinking that he would have the same expertise and abilities when it came to business matters. Sadly he didn’t, and the company collapsed. Now here’s the reason – he didn’t have an honest evaluation of himself. He should have read the verse we are looking at today. The problem in much of today’s employment, particularly in white collar environments, is that those who climb the promotion ladder have to make claims about how good they are, by talking up their abilities. I was once in a project meeting with a very confident manager, who impressed the project sponsor by his apparent knowledge of the subject in hand. Afterwards I complemented him on his knowledge, to which he replied, “in a land of blind men, a one-eyed man is king”. The reality was that he had a good grasp of all the buzz words, but little else. But life isn’t like that for most of us.

At the other end of the scale, I have known people who are really good at something, but they lack the confidence to leverage their abilities, failing to make them a useful addition to their lives and the lives of others. But the emphasis in Paul’s message would indicate that this is less of a problem then being overconfident, by thinking that “you are better than you really are”.

Was Paul merely applying what he was writing about to spiritual matters or everything that the person, the “each of you”, was involved in? He was probably, in my opinion, referring to life, everything the person was involved in as they went about their everyday lives. Paul also included some guidance in his letter to the Philippians. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4). He continued, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. …” (Philippians 2:5-7). The world has got it wrong. Society demands that self-promotion is necessary to get on, and be better than anyone else. The Christian way is the opposite, one of humility and preferring one another. A way where we step back and allow God to do the promoting. Because of Jesus’ humility, He was honoured, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names” (Philippians 2:9).

Paul writes about self-evaluation through the faith that we have. To present this as an example, perhaps someone who claims to have a healing ministry, but doesn’t see the fruit of it, may not have the faith to make their claim. There is a partnership between a person’s spiritual and natural abilities, seasoned with the faith that comes from a lifetime of service to God.

So we pilgrims, humbly in God’s presence, work with Him to maximise our potential for His kingdom. Through our faith in Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit working within us. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). And, in the end, that is what we really want to do – please our loving Heavenly Father.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship You today, deeply grateful for Your presence in our lives. Please help us, we pray, to serve You with faith and in truth, trusting that it is only through You and Your Son, Jesus, that we can really succeed in all that You have for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


Belief and Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Romans 10:16-17 NLT

Paul realistically states to his readers, that not everyone will welcome the “Good News about Christ”. That was just as true in his day as it was in the days of the prophet Isaiah, who wrote in 53:1, “Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm”? This verse in the prophecy from Isaiah is a remarkable vision of God’s suffering servant, Jesus Himself. But the people of his day apparently didn’t take much notice. It was the same in Paul’s day, and it is the same today. Why wouldn’t a message of Good News be welcomed with open arms, and immediately responded to? 

We see the answer in part by the behaviours of people, who want to be in control of their own lives, and not be controlled by a faith in a God they cannot see, let alone believe in. Our scientists develop theories to explain the world around us to avoid having to acknowledge that there is a God who created all that we see. Psychiatrists go to great lengths in their counselling sessions to explain away the mental state and guilty feelings of their patients when all that is needed is repentance and faith in God. Our politicians and law makers devise legislation that they think will suit their mistaken political assumptions but that does not adhere to God’s principles, and get themselves in an awful mess in the process (for example the recent Gender Recognition Bill passed by the Scottish parliament). Lobby groups stridently declare their own particular ideologies, infecting the society around them with their poisons. A society that is not aligned to God’s way soon starts to collapse, and we fear that this century will not end well.

But none of this must stop us pilgrims from sharing the Good News about God and His saving grace. We will be ridiculed, bullied, criticised, and ostracised in the process, but we must persevere anyway. We do not know if the words we speak become seeds that slowly germinate in a person’s soul, eventually sprouting up some years later into a declaration of faith in Christ. Or we may be harvesters, bringing the right word that finally encourages a waverer to accept and believe in the message of Hope, God Himself. 

Paul wrote, “faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ”. It is through our senses that we receive the Good News, and our ears are the gate through which it flows. So, how is our communication script? Do we have a ready-made message that we can roll out, with suitable adaptations, to introduce someone to the Good News about Christ? Or do we sense an opportunity, and end up spluttering and blurting out something that doesn’t quite fit the occasion? Of course, the Holy Spirit within us can provide some important insights into the encounter. Jesus stopped at a well in Samaria for a rest and a drink. A woman came to draw water, and He shared His message of Hope on the back of some remarkable insights into her private life. We read in John 4:16-18, ““Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”” How did Jesus know this except through the Holy Spirit providing the information? We pilgrims also have the Holy Spirit living within us, as Jesus told His disciples in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future”. The Holy Spirit knows the key that will unlock even the hardest, most resistant, hearts, and He will provide this information, if we listen to Him and act upon what He says. A contentious thought for some? Perhaps, but the Holy Spirit is powerful, the third person of the Trinity, and, sadly, is mostly discounted in churches today. We pilgrims must carefully listen for His voice, and act upon it.

The Good News about Christ really is good news. Those who hear it, and act upon it, are securing their future for ever. What can be more important than that?

Dear Father God. Once again we thank You for Your grace and love, that flow unceasingly into the world today. You are there us, always a loving Father and Someone we can be secure in. Thank You. Amen.

Working

Posted on by korgrocker

“When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.”
Romans 4:4-5 NLT

As long as society has been around there has been a system of work and reward. Man’s principle need is for warmth, shelter and food to eat. For Adam, as he tended the Garden of Eden, God’s provision was there to keep him alive and well. There was fruit for food, streams to drink from, and two trees, the fruit of the one to keep him permanently alive, “the tree of life”, and the fruit of another tree that provided the knowledge of “good and evil”. We know the story and what happened. But ever since, and as a consequence of, what we call the “Fall”, men and women have had to work hard to provide for their own basic needs. We can read the story in Genesis 3.

In our relationship with God there is a work link between His Kingdom and the earthly kingdom of which we are a part. Colossians 3:23, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people”. Bringing God into our work environment is important, because it provides an added impetus to do well. In our jobs, we get paid for the service we supply. A wage agreed when we start, and is paid regularly during the period of employment. But a problem can occur if we try and take the same principle into God’s Kingdom. Heaven’s economy is not like the economy in the world around us. In our earthly work, we earn not just our wages, but also the praise and encouragement of those we work for. And through that we can earn promotion or other favours. But the important thing about God is that there is nothing we can do to earn His favour, no matter how hard we think we are working for Him. Nothing can make Him love us more.

According to Paul, the currency in God’s Kingdom involves righteousness, and that is acquired by our faith in God, a faith that believes that are sins are forgiven. Through Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary, we are now able to stand righteously before God. There is no other way. Through Jesus, and our faith in Him, we receive forgiveness of sins. We can’t earn it by working harder. It doesn’t depend on the number of sermons a minister or pastor preaches. Or the number of times we attend a prayer meeting. Or how many hymn books we hand out on a Sunday. Or how often, even, we clean the church toilets. These things are important, but they won’t gain us forgiveness for our sins. As Paul wrote, “But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” 

Dear Father God. We are so grateful for Jesus. We thank You for Your forgiveness of our sins. We believe You – we really do! Amen.